In a joint venture, international technology company Continental and the University of Oxford are now conducting research in the field of artificial intelligence as it applies to the auto industry.

Deep-learning algorithms are going to optimize visual object detection and human-machine dialog in the future. Courtesy of Continental.
"Cooperating with leading research institutions is of the utmost importance to us. It is an important building block that will enable us to measure up to the persistent demands calling on us to shape the mobility of the future and acquire qualified employees and executives for tomorrow,” said Kurt Lehmann, corporate technology officer at Continental.

Automated and autonomous driving, the improvement of future vehicle access systems, accident minimization through intelligent warning systems, and the sensitive dialog that will take place in the future between drivers and vehicles are all topics of interest in the new three-year partnership.

According to Demetrio Aiello, head of Artificial Intelligence & Robotics at Continental, the team’s vision is “a world in which the transportation of people and goods is fully automated and seamless, freeing up time and mental resources for other tasks.”

Continental’s understanding of the mobility world, coupled with Oxford’s algorithmic competence and innovation, could transform this vision into reality.

Continental expects the partnership with the University of Oxford to yield findings on the use of artificial intelligence methods, including in areas like automated and autonomous driving. Courtesy of Continental.“Recent advances of artificial intelligence can revolutionize key technological areas such as transportation. The Oxford Visual Geometry Group is thrilled to collaborate with Continental in applying its cutting-edge research in deep learning and computer vision to the important and demanding domain of assisted mobility” said professor Andrea Vedaldi, a principal investigator in the Visual Geometry Group. “We believe that due to the extensive presence of Continental’s technology in the automotive sector, incorporating state-of-the-art artificial intelligence systems in their products has a significant transformative potential for this area.”

The two companies are in the first phase of the partnership, which includes new postdoctoral research.